Nakatani Calls for Defense Cooperation in Indo-Pacific

   Singapore, May 31 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, in a speech on Saturday, stressed the importance of promoting defense cooperation among countries in the Indo-Pacific region that share common values such as a rules-based international order.
   "Japan will remain at the center" of cooperation among Indo-Pacific countries, Nakatani said in the speech at the annual meeting of the Shangri-La Dialogue regional security forum in Singapore.
   China has stepped up its military activities in the South China Sea, while North Korea has repeatedly taken provocative actions, including launching ballistic missiles.
   "The region and the international community are facing an unprecedented crisis," Nakatani said. Without referring to the countries by name, he said China and North Korea are posing "major obstacles to maintaining a relationship of trust in the defense field."
   In responding to such a situation, Nakatani welcomed the revitalization of regional cooperation frameworks. He emphasized, "It is particularly important that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expanding its security role."

(2025/05/31-16:05)